Yokel Matt 918 Posted January 11, 2016 Report Share Posted January 11, 2016 I recently had rats in the walls of my house which the wifes been going batshit about so it was zero tolerance on the vermin at chateau Matt. I've trapped a fair few and had poison down in the right places (I realised only too late not to put it in the attic after reading a reply on here and the loftspace stunk for a month!). Anyway - it seems like id been feeding the whole county's rat population as I was going through buckets of the stuff so I decided to start baiting the fenns with rat pasta tied on with a bit of copper wire. Sadly I found this fella in the fenn set in my woodpile. I guess my chickens got away with it - in fact I cant believe I haven't lost any - but I used to keep working ferrets and can't help feel a bit sick about this one. Wild Polecats in Somerset though or a escaped / abandoned pet? Quote Link to post
mushroom 12,393 Posted January 11, 2016 Report Share Posted January 11, 2016 I'd say that's a ferret not a poley. Sad mate, tough little buggers to survive in the wild. Quote Link to post
BRY 79 Posted January 11, 2016 Report Share Posted January 11, 2016 Escaped polecat ferret I say too light in colour for full polecat Quote Link to post
foxing machine 144 Posted January 11, 2016 Report Share Posted January 11, 2016 accident happen mate still gutting. looks to me like a working ferret as wild pole cats look darker in cooler atb fm Quote Link to post
socks 32,253 Posted January 11, 2016 Report Share Posted January 11, 2016 Yep I would be gutted if I had trapped that but shit happens and you can't help it ... Shame though as he would have helped keep the rats down ....... 2 Quote Link to post
mad4it 693 Posted January 12, 2016 Report Share Posted January 12, 2016 I would be gutted aswell if I had trapped it, accidents happen, I would say polecat coloured ferret not a full polecat. Quote Link to post
neil cooney 10,415 Posted January 12, 2016 Report Share Posted January 12, 2016 As you say you keep poultry I would call that a result. 1 Quote Link to post
stealthy1 3,964 Posted January 12, 2016 Report Share Posted January 12, 2016 Shame, nice colours though. Quote Link to post
Torquemada 288 Posted January 13, 2016 Report Share Posted January 13, 2016 I'm no expert on ferrets, or polecats for that matter. But can you really tell what it is just by the colour? I mean, common rats (Rattus Norvegicus) come in a variety of shades and it's not a reliable way to distinguish between species for them? Quote Link to post
mushroom 12,393 Posted January 13, 2016 Report Share Posted January 13, 2016 Yes you can tell Quote Link to post
Torquemada 288 Posted January 13, 2016 Report Share Posted January 13, 2016 Fair enough. I did have some ferrets once, briefly, some years ago. Stinky little gits they were. Saying that, I do enjoy a bit of ferreting, just don't like keeping them. Quote Link to post
Rowan 308 Posted January 13, 2016 Report Share Posted January 13, 2016 Yes mate , I can understand you being gutted at catching that . I've been a ferreting man for about 35 years and that would sicken me , but sh1t happens , sorry to see it , give him a decent burial and crack on with the rats . Quote Link to post
perthshire keeper 1,237 Posted January 13, 2016 Report Share Posted January 13, 2016 I pick up quite a lot of wild polecats in a year from the tunnel traps. got one 4 days back he was like a bloody otter as thick as my arm always a bitter sweet thing Quote Link to post
lamperman 12 Posted January 13, 2016 Report Share Posted January 13, 2016 if it was a live catch trap would you have let it go like mate Quote Link to post
Deker 3,453 Posted January 23, 2016 Report Share Posted January 23, 2016 if it was a live catch trap would you have let it go like mate Good point! Quote Link to post
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